This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a packaged web product and apparatus therefor and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for continually producing superposed web products such as toweling.
Paper towels, facial tissue and like products whether interfolded, C-folded or V-folded, have been produced for years by developing individual stacks and thereafter banding the same for transportation to the ultimate customer or site. These are often mounted in a wall dispenser in public washrooms and the like and may number several hundred web units arranged in a stack usually at least 6" high.
In an effort to provide a more efficient process for manufacturing these packaged web products, a continuous enveloping operation was considered. The idea of utilizing a continuous enveloping operation--as by passing the product to be wrapped through a shoe and continuously folding around it an indefinite length web, has been well known for a great variety of products. Insofar as superposed web products are concerned, it has been employed for cigarette papers as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,201. However, the teachings of the prior art relative to enveloping were unsatisfactory when it came to packaging superposed web units of substantial size and extent--as with paper towels of substantial compressability--especially continuous webs being processed at high speeds. In addition, the inventive apparatus discloses, for the first time, a means to adopt high speed packaging of continuous webs so that an extended range of basis weight and caliper wrapping materials can be used, including chipboard with basis weights greater than 50 pounds per ream, or even thicker wraps like corrugated material.
The drawbacks of the prior art were solved by the instant invention which employs a critical step of compressing the superposed webs in a direction perpendicular of the super position thereof to an extent of reducing the superposed height to below about 75% of the uncompressed height and thereafter passing these compressed webs through an open ended forming device having a closed perimeter shaped to the dimensions of the compressed superposed webs and thereafter simultaneously enveloping the wrapping material about these webs. The enveloping web is of indefinite length and is longitudinally sealed after which the now packaged "sausage" is transversely severed while the enveloped webs are being advanced at a uniform rate. The practice of the invention has resulted in packages which are characterized by clean-cut, square ends, equaling, if not surpassing the previously banded packages and at substantial savings in time, personnel and equipment.